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A few minutes later they were at the barracks, and Linda went inside to quickly change clothes, knowing that Jess had her things in her truck.

She didn't have too many 'civilian' gym clothes. She didn't need them. But after a minute she grabbed a plain black t-shirt and some yellow basketball shorts, tossing them in a backpack before joining Jess in her truck.

"So... static?" Jess asked as Linda closed the door. "Need backup?"

"No, not yet," Linda replied, grateful for Jess's discretion in her questions. "I mean, I texted Brutus to try and find out about this, but I haven't heard back yet. I'd like to talk with him first before I do anything else."

Jess nodded, inhaling through her nose.

"Obviously I didn't work with Superstar as much as you did.

I think I talked with him twice the entire week he was here, and both of those conversations were about supplements and weight training.

But he doesn't strike me as the type of guy to want problems like this.

You know, for a superstar football player, he seemed to be a really private guy, more of a homebody than anything else. "

"You know, he sort of is?" Linda admitted. "His house is luxurious, but most of his public persona is sort of just that. It's like there's Brutus the guy I'm dating, and Brutus the football superstar. I haven't seen much of that second side of him."

"It's not football season yet," Jess pointed out before laughing. "You know, my sister says I'm the same way? Sort of a bitch on duty, but I'm a total girly-girl when I'm in a relationship?"

Linda laughed. "Abs like yours, and your next girlfriend can wash her clothes on them instead of using her washing machine."

They got to the gym, and Linda had to admit that it was a total Jess Adams place.

The building looked like a warehouse, with scuffed paint on the walls and a few scars on the wood paneling, but every single machine and bar was in perfect shape.

Rust was afraid to live here. They went to the locker room, where they changed out of their uniforms.

Linda was surprised, as she often was, at just how different she and Jess Adams were built.

The woman's back was thickly muscled, with clear definition on her traps, lats, and muscles she didn't even know the names of, to the point they made her look like she had a diamond between her shoulder blades.

"You're just wearing a bra top?" Linda asked as she pulled her shorts on. "Showing off?"

"Psssh, next to you, I have to do everything I can to show off," Jess said. "I'm going to be doing kettlebell swings next to a supermodel. Even if you're taken, be prepared for every dude in the gym to be feelin' really, really thirsty."

Linda laughed, but before she could say anything her phone rang. Checking the screen, her heart skipped a beat before speeding up as she saw it was Brutus.

"Gimmie a minute, Jess?"

"Sure. I'll go stretch, join me when you're ready." She grabbed her plastic cup full of her workout drink powder and left the women's locker room.

Alone, Linda picked up the call. "Brutus, thank you for calling back."

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't call earlier," Brutus said.

His voice was muffled, and the connection sounded like he was in a tunnel or something it was so poor. Still, hearing his voice helped her feel better.

"I was caught up in business meetings with one of my big endorsement contract companies. So you saw the story?"

"I did. Had a little chat with Colonel Remsburg and Major Kirk about it."

"Fuck," Brutus hissed. "I found out this morning just before lunch myself in fact. Bunch of suits sprung the damn news on me as we sit down to talk about my contract."

"Brutus, I need to ask just because but... this wasn't something you did, right?"

"No!" Brutus assured her, sounding a little upset.

It made Linda cringe, but at the same time the heat of his denial soothed her soul all the more.

"Linda, I would never do that. If I find out who took those photos, I'm going to be having a very intense conversation with them. I already talked with the resort, and let them know that whatever the hell happened, I'm not happy about it."

"Do they know what happened?" Linda asked.

"No, but the staff on duty said they don't remember any press around that weekend.

The invited me to come by when I get back, apologize face to face and try and make it up to me," Brutus answered.

"If they really didn't have anything to do with it, I'll be cool with them, don't worry.

My agent figures that it was a random fan thing, someone saw us and snapped a pic, then later realized they could make some cash with it. .. so they went further."

"It's that further that pisses me off," Linda said, and Brutus's low rumbling growl on the other side of the line told her how he felt about the issue. "So what now?"

"Well, immediately for me is catching a flight back home, I'm still stuck in New York for another hour or so," Brutus said.

"And I know there's a lot to talk about.

I want to sit down, talk this all over with you.

This... I know this is a part of my life that we haven't dealt with before.

And I want to figure it out. I don't want this to get in between us, Linda. "

"I don't want it to get between us either," Linda said. "Okay, well I'm here at the gym with Jess Adams, so I've got my evening planned out. If I can lift my arms tonight after this I'll count myself lucky."

Brutus laughed softly. "How about I check in with you as soon as I land then?" he asked. "I'd like to make sure my girl is doing okay."

"Your girl?" Linda asked warmly.

Brutus hummed.

"I like that."

"Good. Because there's something else I wanted to tell you," Brutus said.

"I know the timing isn't great on this. And I know that there's a lot about my life in football that we haven't really addressed.

I want to though. I want to work with you, to bring you up to speed.

Because you don't deserve to ever be unhappy. I love you."

The words flowed out of her phone and into her ear, and in her mind Linda could feel her lips spreading in a wide smile.

"Good. Because I love you too, and I want to figure all this out too. Call me when you get back."

"I will. I was thinking coming down Thursday, if that's a good time for you?"

"That sounds perfect," Linda said. "We can meet up Thursday afternoon after I get off work."

"Great. Well then, I'll let you go. Have a good workout."

Brutus hung up, and Linda put her phone away, locking it in the gym locker. Out in the gym, Jess Adams was halfway through her drink, rolling her shoulders as she shook out her arms. "Well you had a good call."

"You can tell?"

Jess laughed. "It's written on your face, Linda. So, what happened?"

"He... he said he loves me," Linda admitted, blushing a little. "And he wants to work things out, to... I think he wants this to be long term."

"And how do you feel about that?"

“I love the idea of long term with him!” Linda gushed, grinning.

Jess smiled, and offered her a fist to bump. "Okay then. So let's get to it."

They did, and Linda felt good. As she expected, she was nowhere near able to hang with Charlie Company's 'Muscle Mommy,' who even in a light workout was moving weights that made most of the men in the gym glance over in admiration.

But Linda held her own on an effort and energy level, and as she and Jess completed the last set of standing rope crunches to complete their workout, she was in a good mood.

Thursday couldn't get here fast enough.